Fragile Oblivion
by xKLAUDIAx
Summary: AU - Toris gets a job, but it isn't exactly the job he expected - or wanted. Eventual Lithuania x Poland and Russia x Lithuania. Hints of Russia x Poland and Prussia x Poland.
1. Interview

_**Author's Note **_**: It's kind of interesting how I came up with the idea for this fic. I was watching the first episode of _Breaking Bad_ and thought, "Russia would make a drop-dead sexy drug supplier," and then the idea wouldn't leave me alone. XDDD Hope you like it~**

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Toris stood in front of the large mansion, wondering what the hell he was doing here.

_Oh right..._

Raivis had helped him get an interview with his boss. Toris needed a job, and his younger brother knew it.

"H-he's a very good boss," Raivis had said. "I-I know you need this Toris."

"I don't need your help Raivis, I'm the older brother, remember?" Toris sighed. "I can find a job on my own."

"P-please Toris? For me?" He pouted, making his older brother smile and tousle the blonde's flaxen hair.

"Alright, for you." Toris scratched his head. "Doesn't Eduard work with you?" Their other sibling had always been a tough subject.

"He's on k-kitchen duty, but y-yeah." Raivis smiled weakly.

"And what do you do?"

Toris remembered the way his younger brother's face had paled. "Oh, y-you know... his p-paperwork, and I organize his m-meetings... Things like that."

"What does your boss do?"

"H-he's in the trading business." Raivis frowned, looking down at his shoes. "Nothing too exciting."

_Nothing too exciting, yeah right..._

A house like this wasn't acquired through a boring job.

The mansion was easily four stories tall, and the outside was covered in what looked like black slate.

_I don't belong here..._

Toris sighed and made his way to the double doors that lead to the inside of the house and knocked on it's deep mahogany wood. Somethig was engraved in the wood just above Toris's eye level. From what little Russian Toris knew, he guesses it said "Master Braginski".

A familiar blonde with bluish-lavender eyes opened the massive door. Toris smiled at his brother.

"I knew you'd make it!" Raivis said, embracing his older brother tightly around the waist and leading him inside.

Toris stared up at the ceiling, nearly fifty feet above his head. Scenes of destruction and death were painted on the shallow dome - and some were so graphic that the brunette had to look away.

"Charming," He said quietly.

Raivis nodded. "Master Braginski seems to think so."

Toris continied to follow his brother younger sibling through the house. The pair climbed a flight of stairs and stopped in front of another mahogany door. Raivis adjusted the collar of his brother's shirt and straightened his tie.

"You must always referr to him as Master Braginski or Sir. He appreciates it when you make eye contact. And you must never - under any circumstances - mention your family or siblings unless directly asked about them. He doesn't take to things like that kindly." Raivis flashed a weak smile. "But he already knows we're realted, so there's no need to bring that up anyway."

Toris sighed. "Okay."

Raivis nodded and knocked on the door they were in front of. "M-Master Braginski? Toris is here for the i-interview." Toris couldn't help but notice how his brother shook.

When someone answered from the other side of the door Raivis jumped.

"G-go in, and for God's sake Toris, remember what I told you." The blonde whispered before pushing his older brother through the doorway.

Toris stumbled but quickly regained his footing.

The lighting in the room was dim. A huge desk made of dark wood was placed in the center of the room and in front of it were two black leather chairs, identical to another behind the desk, but with shorter backs.

_It's an office..._

Toris brushed his bangs out of his eyes. From what he could see, he was alone in his potential boss's office.

But someone must have been here a second ago...

"You must be Toris, da?" A male voice with a thick Russian accent said from behind the desk. Toris jumped at the unexpected break in silence. He still could not see anyone else in the room with him.

"Y-yes! Are you-?" Toris began timidly, looking around the room.

"Master Braginski." The black chair whirled around and Toris stepped back. A tall man with greyish-blonde hair and violet eyes was sitting there, with what seemed to be a water faucet balancing on his thighs. The man was wearing a black suit and white button down shirt, which was unbuttoned to just above his bellybutton. Around his neck was an off-white scarf. His smile was warm and inviting, and in seeing this Toris began to relax.

"You are my dear Raivis's brother, correct?" Master Braginski asked.

Toris nodded. "Yes sir."

"And from what I understand, Eduard's also?"

"Yes sir."

Master Braginski opened a drawer of his desk and took out a pen and some paper. "Do you have any other siblings?" His violet eyes scrutinized Toris's every move.

"No sir." Toris shifted uncomfortably where he was standing.

"Forgive me for being so rude! Please, sit down." The man motioned toward the two chairs in front of the desk. Toris reluctantly sat in the one farthest away from the desk and the man sitting behind it.

"Now, do you have any criminal record?" He asked, locking eyes with the brunette and leaning forward in his seat.

"No sir."

"No driving tickets?" The Russian leaned his head into his palm.

"No sir."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing sir."

Master Braginski scribbled on the paper he had on his desk quickly.

"Do you speak any other languages besides English?"'

"I speak a little Russian and French, but I am fluent in Lithuanian." Toris said, adding a quick "sir" at the end.

"And your resume?" Master Braginski held out his hand.

Toris handed the Russian the piece of paper he had been clutching tightly. Master Braginski glanced over it.

"You graduated top of your class last year, I see. And your Masters Degree is in...?" He glanced up, green eyes meeting violet ones.

"Business Management, sir."

"You took Polish for your foreign language in high school?"

"Only for one year, sir."

He nodded and bit the end of his thumb. "Well, this interview is over. You can start working tomorrow."

Toris gaped at the Russian. "I got the job, sir?"

"Of course Toris! With a resue like yours, who wouldn't hire you?" Master Braginski stood up and Toris mimicked him. "I will give you the rest of today to pack your things from your home and move them here."

"Master Braginski, I don't understand." Toris stared at the Russian's bare chest.

"My staff stays in the house with me, it is certainly big enough, da? So, you will pack your belongings and I will send someone to your address at noon tomorrow. They will bring both you and your things here and you will begin your job." He smiled all the while, water faucet in hand.

"Master Braginski-"

"Please, call me Ivan."

"Ivan," Toris corrected. "What exactly will I be doing, sir?"

"Oh," Ivan said coolly. "Just a few odd jobs here and there, at least, until I can put you into a more permanent position like your brothers'. And I have a feeling that a new position will be coming very soon for you, Toris." Ivan winked at the shorter man and clapped him on the shoulder. Toris blushed. "I will have one of your new co-workers give you a tour of the house tomorrow. And before I forget," Ivan pulled a small key-card from his pocket. "This will allow you to access the main part of the house and most of the room inside it. Do. Not. Lose. This. Da?" Master Braginski squeezed Toris's shoulder with every word.

"I won't, sir." Toris took the key-card and slipped it onto the back pocket of his pants. Ivan smiled and pushed a button on the phone on his desk.

"Raivis, come and show your brother the way out."

_R-right away, sir,_ Raivis answered from the other side, sounding slightly disappointed.

A few seconds later, Raivis opened the door and Toris started to make his way out.

"Good luck Toris." Ivan called from behind him. Toris turned around and mumbled a hasty "thank you, sir" in Ivan's general direction.

Once both of them were safely outside, Raivis shut the door to Master Braginski's office. Raivis sighed and wrung his hands.

"I-I'm sorry T-Toris. I-"

"I got the job." Toris smiled weakly down at his brother.

Raivis's head shot up at his elder brother. He flashed a wide smile. "Really? You did? When do you start?"

"Tomorrow."

They made their way down the stairs. "So you have to get packed and everything tonight? Is someone coming to pick you up in the morning? I'm so happy for you Toris!"

"Thank you Raivis." Toris smiled. "Umm... do all of his employees live here?"

"Oh, yeah. He likes to have us close, just in case there's a... an emergency."

"So you live here too?"

"Yeah, I do. W-we all do. I'm sure y-you'll adjust as q-quickly as the rest of us did."

"How many others are there? Working here, I mean."

"A f-few dozen, give or take a c-couple people."

A few dozen? "Full house."

"Not r-really." Raivis shook his head. "You hardly see anyone e-else around. The grounds are huge. And this is only the entry building and the offices. The main part of the mansion - with the h-housing and the k-kitchens - is easily twice this size. And that's not counting the indoor shooting range-"

"Shooting range?"

Raivis's eyes widened. "Y-yeah, but no one uses it."

_Damn, this guy _is_ loaded..._

"What does Master Braginski trade?"

They reached the front door. Raivis ran his fingernails over the dark wood. The younger man bit his lip.

"Look, Toris... I'll tell you later, okay? You... y-you really need to get home and start p-packing."

Toris raised his eyebrows. "Alright, Rai. See you tomorrow." He slowly walked outsde when Raivis opened the door.

"Okay Toris. B-but just know... once you're working for Master Braginski, you will be for a long time."

Raivis shut the door before Toris had the chance to ask what he meant.


	2. Tour

**_Author's Note _: I had fun writing this chapter, and I am extremely sorry for the spelling mistakes. ^^;  
Introduced Luxembourg(Noah), France(Francis),&Poland(Feliks) in this chapter and mentioned Turkey(Sadiq) and Cuba(Ismael).  
Just so you know -  
'Tak' is yes in Polish  
'mon chere' is my dear in French  
'głupi' is stupid in Polish  
'Aucun' is no in French  
****'Au revoir' is goodbye in French **

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Everything was ready. All of Toris's belongings were packed, and there was nothing else left for him to do, he had already said his goodbyes to his comfortable home. Waiting for someone to come and get you wasn't as exciting as it seemed. But, at noon, a black van pulled up in front of Toris's house, just like his new boss had said.

A blond man wearing black pants and a white dress shirt made his way to Toris's front door and knocked. The brunette opened the door quickly.

"Hello, you must be Toris." The blond said, shaking Toris's hand and giving him a shy smile. "My name is Noah. Master Braginski sent me." The brunette could pick up a slight accent in Noah's voice, but couldn't tell where it was from.

"Hello Noah. I'll go get my things-"

"No, I'll help you." Noah's bluish-green eyes glinted as he smiled.

"Oh... well, okay."

Toris and Noah loaded his boxes into the back of the van. By 1:30 they were on the road, back to Master Braginski's mansion. Toris was the first to break the vehicle's awkward silence.

"So... where are you from, Noah?" Toris asked timidly.

Noah kept his eyes on the road. "Originally I am from Luxembourg."

"Really?"

"Yes." Noah nodded his head slightly. "And might I ask where you are from?"

"My brothers and I were born in the Baltic states. Our parents traveled a lot before we moved to London."

"So you were each born in a different country?"

"Yes, I was born first in Lithuania, Eduard second in Estonia, and Raivis last in Latvia."

"Interesting." Noah adjusted the rear-view mirror.

"Quite."

The van lapsed into silence again, but thankfully they were entering Master Braginski's estate, so the silence didn't last very long.

"Alright Toris," Noah started as he parked the car. "Sadiq, Ismael and I will bring your things to your room. Feliks," Noah pointed toward the front door of the house. "will give you a tour of the estate and give you the dining schedule and all that. He will also take you to Francis to give you your uniform and anything else clothes-related you might need."

"Thank you Noah." The brunette said as he exited the car.

"Ah, but thank you Toris. You'd best be on your way." Noah waved a Toris shyly. Toris gave his own timid smile in response and made his way to the front doors once more.

Toris knocked quickly. The doors were promptly opened by a small blond with green eyes that was about the same age as Toris, though the blond was at least three inches shorter. At first, Toris thought it was a young woman, seeing as the blond was wearing a black skirt. But Toris quickly realized it was a man.

"You must be Toris." The blond said, picking at the hem of his short skirt.

"Yes, I am. Are you Feliks?"

"Tak. Now, you must follow me through the house. And keep up, if you get lost I don't know when I'll, like, have a chance to send someone to find you." Feliks immediately began walking away from the brunette. "Come on, Toris. We don't have all day."

Toris followed the blond, keeping a few feet between them.

"You must know what goes on in this facility, so I have no need to explain it to you." Feliks said indifferently.

"Actually, I don't."

Feliks glanced at the brunette. "Then I'll leave that to your brother. I'm like, never doing the explaining again." The blond sounded annoyed.

"Why?"

"That's beside the point." Feliks took out a key card and inserted it into a door. "Do you, like, have one of these?"

"Yes." Toris showed the blond his card.

"That makes my job easier." He opened the door and Toris stepped through.

Feliks continued through a hall to their left and into a kitchen. He didn't pause.

"Breakfast is here at 6AM. Lunch is on your own accord, and dinner starts promptly at 8."

Toris thought it was strange that the kitchen was deserted.

They made their way up a flight of stairs.

"Master Braginski's room is through those doors and down the hall." Feliks pointed to the double doors direcly in front of them. "If he calls your room, you must answer and do whatever he tells you. No exceptions."

They continued their tour. Feliks showed Toris the grounds and various employee elevators located throughout the house. He also showed his the offices and how to use his key card to gain access to the internet and various files in the computer.

The tour was paused when they reached a small parlor in the West wing of the house.

"Francis is waiting for you in here. I'll be back in a while." Feliks walked off without another word, leaving Toris alone in the hall.

Toris entered the parlor and again it seemed like he was alone. But quiet rustling told the brunette otherwise.

Toris found himself face-to-face with a tall blond man with hair about the same length as his own, sapphire eyes, and sun-kissed skin. The blond - wearing the same black and white attire as everyone else he had seen - smiled widely.

"You are Toris, oui?" He asked in a heavy French accent. The brunette nodded. The blond man held out his hand. "I am Francis Bonnefoy."

"Hello Francis." Toris took the outstretched hand weakly.

Francis looked over Toris, using their connected hands to spin the brunette around completely. "You are shorter than I thought. Come, I must make a few adjustments."

"Adjustments to what?"

"Your uniform." Francis led the brunette through a small doorway into another room. In it was a small sewing table and sewing machine, along with a room separator and a wall covered in rolls of black fabric.

Francis thrust a small black bundle into Toris's hands.

"Try these on, I may need to hem the pants."

"How-?"

"Do not ask, simply put them on Toris." The blond gave Toris one of those I-know-what-I'm-talking-about looks. The brunette, although still a bit skeptical, went behind the room separator and put on the black slacks and jacket. He was surprised to realize they fit him perfectly.

"Come and let me see you Toris." Francis called.

Toris walked out from behind the room separator and fussed over the jacket, but Francis seemed delighted.

"I knew I got your waist measurments right! But the sleeves are a bit too long... a few centimeters off will do. The pants are too long also... maybe if I..." Francis bit his lip. The Frenchman pulled a platform out from under his sewing table along with some pins out of one of the drawers. "Stand on this for me, will you?"

Toris did as he was asked. The blond began to pin the hem of Toris's pants, humming all the while.

After a solid half hour of standing perfectly still for Francis, and being stabbed in the ankle when he did move, Toris was relieved to hear someone else enter the room. And to his surprise, it was Feliks.

"You, like, did a great job Francis." Feliks interrupted.

"Thank you Feliks." Francis mumbled, stepping back to see how Toris looked.

"He fits the part." Feliks said.

"Oui." Francis agreed. "Do you need to take him, my dear Feliks?"

"No, no, Francis. Take as long as you need. I'll just go check on... well, you know."

"But I am finished with him." Francis scratched his stubble covered chin. "He does not know, mon chere?"

"No... I leave that to his brother to explain." Feliks sighed. "Well Toris, like, get changed and I'll take you to your room.

"Okay." Toris changed quickly and handed the pants and jacket back to Francis.

"Thank you." Toris said quietly.

"Aucun mon chere, thank you. Au revoir!"

"Au revoir."

Toris followed Feliks out of the parlor and into another hallway, darker than the one Toris remembered when he entered the parlor a half hour ago.

"Where are we going?" Toris asked.

"Your room." Feliks replied, mumbling a quick "głupi" under his breath.

"Don't call me stupid." The brunette said, defiant.

"I had no idea that you would, like, understand me." Feliks sounded impartial to Toris's being offended. "Otherwise, I might not have said it."

"You _might_ not have?" Toris put him hand on Feliks's shoulder and stopped. "What's your problem?"

Feliks turned around and looked fixedly into Toris's eyes. "I, like, don't have a problem. If there's something wrong with one of us, it's you. You're too polite for your own good." Feliks's emerald eyes bore into Toris's jade ones. "Now, would you like me to show you to your room, or let you find it on your own?"

Toris sighed and let his hand slide from the blond's shoulder. Feliks continued through the hall and Toris followed obediently.

They took an elevator to the third floor of the building and made their way through yet another hall. The walls were painted a deep red in this one though, and Toris thought it was a nice break from dark grey.

Feliks stopped in front of a door labeled 548.

"Open it." He said impatiently.

Toris took out his key-card and slipped it into the automated lock.

"Only your key can open the lock." Feliks explained. "Inside you will find your belongings unpacked and in your drawers. Feel free to re-arrange them if it makes you feel more comfortable. On the desk is your phone and a list of all the employees and their room numbers. All you have to do is type in the number of their room and your call will be re-routed to either their room or their designated work area. If someone does not answer, you can use the intercom system. The back of your key-card has the instructions." Feliks handed Toris a small ear piece. "That's the intercom. Don't lose it." Toris could see that Feliks had one in his ear as well, though the blond's shoulder-length tresses hid it partially. "Your wake up call is at 5:45 in the morning. Antonio will page you at about 7:45 so you can start heading down to the kitchen for dinner."

"And if I get lost?" The brunette asked.

"You won't. Like, the employee elevators, remember?" He pointed farther down the hall.

"Right."

Feliks walked back they way they had came.

Toris sighed and opened the door to his new room without a sound.


	3. Intercom

_**Author's Note**_** : My favorite chapter so far, and it has my favorite line EVER. (aka ~ "Shut the hell up you German skank." XD)  
Oh yeah, and the Derringer... awesome gun! THEY'RE SO TINY~**

**Master Braginski's Household  
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**Lithuania - Toris  
Latvia - Raivis  
Estonia - Eduard  
Poland - Feliks  
Finland - Tino  
Sweden - Berwald  
China - Yao  
Vietnam - Lihn  
France - Francis  
Canada - Matthew  
South Italy - Romano/Lovino  
Spain - Antonio  
Seychelles - Michelle  
Turkey - Sadiq  
Luxembourg (OC, I know) - Noah  
Ukraine - Yekaterina  
Belarus - Nataliya  
Hong Kong - Maddox  
Prussia - Gilbert  
Cuba - Ismael  
Korea - Im Yong Soo**

******If you have a question about a character or something, review/PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. **

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Happy to find all of his belongings intact, Toris laid down on his bed. The brunette felt uneasy - knowing that something was going on on Master Braginski's estate, but not knowing what that something was.

_Damn, what could be going on here?_

_Nothing too horrible, or Raivis wouldn't have offered to help get me a job, right?_

Toris glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table. It read 6:54 PM. The brunette groaned, not knowing how to spend the next hour before dinner. Toris reached into his pants-pocket and pulled out his key-card and ear piece. He flipped the card over and read the instructions. Seemed easy enough. Toris put the device in his ear and looped the hook around his outer ear. When the brunette pushed the small green button on the end of the device, he heard a few voices on the other end.

_Michelle, answer your damn phone._ A male voice said, clearly annoyed.

_Yeah, yeah... what do you need Romano?_ A girl replied.

_Sadiq tracked in some dirt. First level, East wing._

_Again?_ The girl sighed.

_Again._

_I'm on my way._

_Good. 'Bout time too._ Another male voice said, deeper than the first.

Toris realized that this was more like a walkie-talkie than an intercom system. He continued listening to employees grumble at each other.

_Mathieu! I need you, mon chere!_ Francis called.

_What is it Francis?_ A man answered quietly.

_I need some bleach and black thread._

_I'm on my way._

Nothing particularly exciting was said, but Toris was intrigued when he heard his brother's voice.

_Feliks, the newest shipment is here._ Raivis said timidly.

_Send it to the basement, _The blonde replied, annoyed. _Any news on the Derringer order?_

_They should get here by tomorrow._

Toris wondered why Master Braginski would be ordering guns - especially guns that small.

_Good. _Feliks said, sounding happier then Toris had ever heard him before.

There were a few minutes of silence over the intercom until a man with a Spanish accent announced that dinner would begin in 15 minutes.

_You might want to call the new kid's room, Antonio,_ a man with a German accent said. _'cus he's not half as awesome as I am!_

_Shut it Gilbert, _A familiar voice replied._ He's my fucking brother, remember that._

_Now, now, Eduard. _Feliks said playfully. _Play nice._

_Yes, and you too Gilbert._ Antonio announced cheerfully. _I don't think you need anyone else on your bad side._

_I don't have a bad side._

_That's what you think. _Eduard replied.

_Why you little-_

_Just call him, Antonio._ Feliks exclaimed.

_Will do Feliks._

A few seconds later, the phone on Toris's desk began to ring. The brunette got off his bed and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hola! I'm Antonio. Dinner starts in 15 minutes. You're Toris right?"

"Yes. It's nice to talk to you Antonio."

"You too! I'll see you soon~" The man hung up the phone and Toris did the same.

_Called him!_ Antonio said. _He sounds nice._

_He's too nice if you, like, ask me. _Feliks sighed.

_Well, nobody, like, asked you._ Gilbert said, mocking Feliks's odd way of speaking.

_Shut the hell up you German skank._

_I love you too Feliks._ Gilbert replied.

_Do you want me to kill you? I have the best shot in the entire household, and you of all people know that Gilbert. Unless, you want another knee surgery?_

_Don't remind me you Polish whore._

_I love you too Gilbert._

At this, Toris began to make his way to the kitchen.

_Shut it, Pole._

_Make me._

_Oh, I will. Just wait._

_I've been waiting._

_What do you have to say to that?_ Eduard asked.

Gilbert's line was silent.

_You think he gave up?_ Another male asked.

_Yep._ Feliks replied. _See you at dinner Matthew._

_Okay._ Matthew said.

Toris could already see the light from the kitchen and hear other employees' laughter. When the brunette entered the kitchen, he saw about ten others in the room with him. He could only recognize two of them.

Raivis greeted Toris first with a weak hug. Noah was close behind with a handshake.

"How had your day been?" Noah asked him.

"Good, and yours?"

"Alright." Noah left to talk to a blonde girl with a bow in her hair.

Raivis pulled on Toris's long brown locks. "You okay?" The lavender eyed man asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Toris replied. "Interesting conversation on the intercom, huh?" The brunette gave his brother a sly smile.

Raivis's eyes widened. "What all did you hear?"

"I came in at, 'shut the hell up you German skank'." Toris lied.

"Ah," Raivis frowned. "They're always like that. Feliks and Gilbert, I mean."

"I don't think I want to keep my ear piece in then." The brunette pointed to his left ear and Raivis smiled.

"It's well worth it in the end, believe me." The blonde's voice lowered. "You can mute it if it annoys you that much though."

"No, no. It's fine." Toris glanced around the room. "I don't know anyone."

"You know me."

"True."

Raivis smiled up at his brother as two girls walked over. One had brown hair with pigtails, and the other had black hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. The brown haired girl grinned.

"Hello," She held out her hand. "I'm Michelle."

"Hello Michelle. My name is Toris." He shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you."

The black haired Asian girl held out her hand as well. "I'm Lihn."

"Hello Lihn." He shook her hand. When he let go, the girl walked off into the kitchen.

Michelle stayed behind. "I hope you like it here Toris."

"I do. Everyone here is very welcoming."

"So we've heard." Michelle's chocolate eyes glistened. "Hey, Sadiq! Quit being an ass and come say hello!"

A tall Mediterranean man walked up to Michelle and gave her a solid punch in the arm. Michelle elbowed him in the stomach.

"Hey Toris. I'm Sadiq." The man smiled.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Sadiq went back to where he was standing, near a dark skinned man with dread locks, smoking a Cuban cigar.

"Dinner is almost ready." Lihn announced.

"Now we have to wait for all the ass holes who can't keep track of the goddamned time." Said a brown haired man with a curl portruding from the right side of his head. "Damn it, I'm hungry."

"I told you to eat lunch Lovino!" Toris recognized this man's voice as Antonio's. "You're so stubborn."

Lovino turned bright red and insisted that he was not stubborn, and if Antonio called him Lovino ever again he would pop a cap in the Spaniard's ass. Antonio just smiled and hugged the brunette tightly.

"Don't worry. Romano wouldn't harm a hair on Antonio's head." A man with red eyes and white hair said, sneaking up behind the brunette and clapping him on the shoulder, causing Toris to jump. "I'm Gilbert, but you can call me awesome if you want." His German accent was even more prominent in person. Gilbert winked.

"Well I highly doubt I'll be calling you a German skank." Toris moved out from under Gilbert's hand.

Gilbert grimaced. "You heard that?"

"Unfortunately. I'm Toris by the way."

"Nice to meet you Toris." Gilbert glanced around the room. "Let's go to the table. Who knows how long the rest of them will take to get here, especially that cross-dressing Polish whore." He winked one of his red eyes.

Toris chuckled and followed the albino to the long dining table. Toris sat next to Gilbert and another man with amethyst eyes and light blonde hair. On his head was a white beret, and he was smiling slightly.

The blond turned toward Toris and offered his hand. "My name is Tino." He had a thick accent.

"My name is Toris." The brunette replied.

Tino pointed to a tall blond with aquamarine eyes to his left. "And this is Berwald."

"Hello Berwald."

"'t's n'ce t' 've m't y'."

Toris had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.

Slowly, more and more employees began filing into the dining room and introducing themselves until all but four seats were filled. The brunette noticed that Feliks was missing.

"I told ya." Gilbert said, jabbing Toris's arm with the wrong end of his fork. "Feliks is always late."

"Is he the only one missing?" The brunette asked.

"Nope. Eduard isn't here either. And the cooks are still in the kitchen."

Toris glanced around the room, he couldn't see Eduard anywhere.

"Well, where could they be?"

Gilbert shrugged. "Down in the lab maybe. They could be cleaning up, but that's usually the chemists' job's.

Just then, Feliks and Eduard entered the dining room. Feliks sat across from Toris and Eduard adjacent to Raivis.

"What kind of lab?" Toris asked the albino.

Toris noticed that the room had become completely silent. He looked around and it seemed like everyone was holding their breath.

Gilbert glanced nervously at Feliks, who shrugged.

"It's, like, too late for him to get out of it anyway." The blonde sighed. "Go ahead and tell him Gilbert."

The brunette had a feeling that his first dinner in the house was about to get a lot more interesting.


	4. Office

_**Author's Note **_**:****I had fun writing this! I just thought Gilbert needed to be put in his place.**

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"It's a-" Gilbert began, but a loud voice with a heavy Russian accent interrupted him over the intercom.

_Will Toris, Feliks, and Gilbert please come to my office?_

Feliks held down the talk button on his ear piece. "Right away Master Braginski." He glared at the German angrily.

_And do not say anything further on the matter Gilbert._

"Of course not, Master Braginski." Gilbert mumbled.

_And bring Raivis also._

"We'll be right there, sir." Feliks replied. He stood up and motioned for the brunette to follow.

"How did he know?" Gilbert asked when all four of them were safely in the hallway.

"He has this place wired." Feliks answered, smirking.

"You're shittin' me."

"Yep."

"Damn it, Feliks!" Gilbert yelled. "You ass!"

"I t-told you." Raivis mumbled to the brunette. Toris smiled at his curly haired sibling.

"Yao probably tipped him off." Gilbert sighed.

"Most likely." Feliks said, knocking on the door to Master Braginski's office.

Toris heard a faint, "come in" from the other side. Feliks pushed the door open. Gilbert pulled the brunette inside with him. Raivis held the door open for Feliks before entering himself.

The office was as dim as Toris remembered it. Ivan was reclining in his leather chair, spigot in hand. His face was full of disapproval.

"Gilbert, might I ask what you were thinking?" The Russian asked, clenching his water faucet in one hand and pointing at the German with the other. Ivan's face remained emotionless.

"I... I thought he knew Master Braginski." Gilbert bit his lip. "I didn't think that bringing it up would-"

"That is enough. I will talk with you later. You may leave." Master Braginski dismissed the German.

"Thank you, sir." Gilbert left the room without another word.

"Dear Raivis," Ivan said, smiling ever so slightly at the other lavender-eyed blonde. "You did not explain this facility to your brother?"

"N-no, sir." Raivis's frail hands shook.

"Why not?" He asked. "I told you to find someone willing to do the job."

"H-he was w-willing, sir." Raivis explained. "I knew he would be willing, if I asked."

"Yes, but you did not tell him what the job was, da?" The Russian leaned forward in his chair.

"I d-did not, s-sir."

Ivan stared at the younger man intently. "You may leave, Raivis."

"Thank you, Master Braginski." Raivis exited the room, leaving Feliks and Toris alone with Master Braginski.

Master Braginski set his spigot loudly on the desk, making Toris jump, but Feliks seemed unphased.

"Let me be quite straightforward on this matter Toris," Ivan said, "you are already in too deep, too deep to get out any time soon. If you retaliate, I could have Nataliya kill you without a second thought - and she would never be caught - because she is a professional. Do you understand?"

Toris let out a shaky breath and nodded.

"Good. Now, in this household, we manufacture high-grade methanphetamines along with other drugs like marijuana, LSD, and PCP. After making these drugs, we sell them to our clients and they do what they wish with them." After saying this, Ivan glanced at Toris, surprised to find that the brunette had had no reaction. "You do not seem surprised."

"No, no... I am. But... I don't know anything about making drugs." Toris brushed the hair out of his face. "What will I be doing, sir?"

Ivan smiled. "You will be delivering the drugs to my clients. You see, Feliks, Tino, Berwald, and your brother Raivis take the product to our customers and receive the payment. It is that simple Toris. All you have to do is ensure that the product gets to our client safely, and that payment is brought back to me."

"So, I'm a drug dealer." Toris snorted.

"In a way, yes." Ivan's grin widened. "So your training will begin tomorrow-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but what am I being trained for?"

"Your job, of course. You will meet Feliks at the shooting range tomorrow morning after breakfast."

"Master Braginski, I'm sure Tino or Berwald-" Feliks sounded the slightest bit angry.

"Nonsense Feliks," The Russian stood up and walked over to where Feliks stood. "you can train him better than they can."

"But sir, the guns-"

"Tino can take care of that. You will teach him, da?" Toris saw Ivan move his face closer to Feliks's.

"Sir-"

"Da?" Ivan held the Pole's face between his hands.

Feliks glanced at Toris and sighed. "Tak."

Ivan kissed Feliks chastly on the lips.

"You may leave." Master Braginski told them, waving dismissively before making his way back to his desk.

Toris gaped at Feliks as he stormed past. The brunette's mouth felt like it was filled with cotton.

"What the hell is wrong with you? He told us to leave." Feliks whispered angrily, pulling Toris out of Ivan's office by his shirt sleeve.

The door closed loudly. Feliks, walking away, called, "let's get to dinner."

Toris followed the blonde with legs that felt like iron.

"H-he kissed you." Toris managed to mumble.

"And?" Feliks's eyed flared with emotion.

"I just... didn't expect it."

Feliks laughed, a mildly amused sound. "So you're completely calm knowing you're working in a drug lord's house, but Master Braginski kisses me and suddenly you act as if you saw someone get shot."

"I... I guess."

"Jealous?" Feliks grinned.

"Of you?" Toris laughed. "God no."

Feliks raised his pale eyebrows. "Okay then."

"Really, I'm not."

"Oh, I totally believe you, Toris." Feliks smirked as they entered the realm of chaos that the dining room and kitchen currently were.

Gilbert, Francis, and Romano were standing on one side of the dining room table, looking like their heads would explode. Across the table were Raivis, Lihn, Yao, and Michelle, looking as calm as the others did furious. Everyone else was standing with their backs pressed against the wall farthest away from the scene.

Antonio, being his happy and warm self, was trying to ease the situation with Matthew to no avail.

"Thanks to you," Gilbert pointed angrily between Yao and Raivis who visibly flinched away from his outstretched hand. "Master Braginski is going to kill me!"

"If you just fucking told him, we wouldn't have this problem." Romano glared at the blonde.

"If I'm ever able to walk again-" Gilbert began.

"You'll what, Gilbert?" Michelle said. "Punch them?"

"Scared of a little pain, are you?" Yao retorted. He leaned forward in his chair. "I think a beating would be good for you, aru."

"You fucking-" Gilbert lunged over the table, reaching for Yao's neck.

"Now, Gilbert." Antonio put his hand on the German's shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "Raivis and Yao did the right thing."

"You think having me - the awesomeness that is me - beaten half to death is a good thing? You saw what he did to Maddox last time!

"Oui Antonio, Gilbert is right." Francis said.

"Francis," Matthew whispered to the Frenchman. "You don't honestly believe that, do you?"

"Mathieu, please leave."

"No, not until you calm the hell down."

Toris turned to Feliks, who was watching this conversation intently.

"What should we do?" The brunette asked.

Feliks just told him to watch.

"I can't just watch this Feliks! My brother is about to be strangled by Gilbert."

The blonde told his to shut up, or he would shut him up.

"If I live through this Raivis, I swear I will beat you and your brothers so hard you won't be able to sand for weeks."

Toris flinched and stormed over to where Gilbert was standing. Feliks pulled on the brunette to try and stop him, but Toris pushed him off.

"Don't you ever," The brunette jabbed his finger into Gilbert's face. "Threaten my brother again."

"Or what?" Gilbert asked, smiling.

Toris punched the German in the face and heard a very satisfying crunch as his fist connected with the albino's nose.

"That," Toris said as Gilbert doubled over. "But lower, and you will probably be labeled as incapable of having children."

Toris walked over to his younger brother and took his hand gently, leading the blonde into the hall. Feliks followed, his hand planted firmly on the brunette's shoulder.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Feliks laughed.

The three of them entered one of the elevators.

"I was thinking about my brother." Toris answered.

"Y-you d-didn't have to d-do that T-Toris." Raivis said, curling into his brother's side.

"I don't understand you at all Toris." Feliks moaned as thay stepped out of the elevator onto the fourth floor. Raivis stopped in front of room 528 and told the brunette that that was his room.

"Are you going to be okay?" Toris asked his brother gently.

"I-I'll be fine, T-Toris." The blonde pulled out his key-card and entered his room, leaving Toris and Feliks once again alone.


	5. Hurt

_**Author's Note**_**: OMG! BAHHHH I hate myself for this. *facepalm*  
****Thank you to all of you who have been reading my story and reviewing it and everyone that Favorited too, I really appreciate all the support. :3 I love you all!  
I appreciate the support, and I can't stress that enough you guys. It means so much to me that you enjoy my fanfiction. And this is actually only the second one I've written _ever_.**

**Reviews are the author's drug... so to speak. XD I love getting feedback from you guys.**

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"How did you get here?" Toris asked, leaning his head back on the wall he and Feliks were sitting on. Feliks drummed his fingers on his thigh.

"I went to school with Ivan and Berwald. It was our senior year of high school. All of us were, like, broke as hell, and were just about to go off to college." He laughed quietly. "Then, in chemistry class, they taught us how to manufacture meth. Ivan suggested getting into the drug trade. Berwald and I... we, like, agreed, because who would guess we were making drugs?" The blond glanced at Toris quickly. "And, like, a few others heard we were doing it and wanted in. Our staff has grown from there."

"And you've never been caught?"

"Not once." Feliks slowly stood up. "Come on, I bet you're hungry. Yao saved us some food."

Toris stood up as well. "No, you go ahead. I need to talk to Eduard, actually." The brunette smiled at Feliks's confused expression. "Really, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." Feliks walked down the hall.

Toris made his way to his room and stepped inside. The brunette picked up the list of staff members on his desk, found his brother's name and dialed his room number. The phone rang a few times before a tired sounding Eduard answered.

"Hello?"

"Eduard, could I talk to you for a minute?" Toris asked.

"Of course."

"Why are you doing this?" The brunette asked angrily.

"Doing what?"

"What? Drugs! Everything! And Raivis? How could you let him do this?" Toris hissed. "Why would you let him do this?"

"Calm down Toris. I only did what I was asked." Eduard retorted.

"And what were you asked?"

"Raivis asked me to work with him. I needed a job, so I took it. _I_ wasn't the one dragging _him_ into this." Eduard snapped. "Look, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

Toris pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes. "Okay." He hung up the phone.

The brunette laid down on his bed and buried his face in his pillows, which smelled faintly of dust and bleach. Toris rolled onto his back and listened to his stomach growl.

_Maybe dinner wouldn't be so bad..._

The brunette pushed the talk button on his ear piece.

"Hey Feliks, is that dinner invitation still open?" He asked.

_Of course, hurry up and get down here. _Feliks replied.

Toris exited his room and got into one of the elevators. On his way down, he could hear various staff members arguing over the intercom, and they were all arguing with Gilbert.

_You cocky bastard. I think you deserved it. _Nataliya laughed.

_Shut up, Russian bitch. _Gilbert retorted.

_I am not Russian Gilbert. _

_Do I give a shit?_

_You should,_ Maddox replied,_ Unless you want to get knifed._

_She wouldn't._

_Oh, I would._Nataliya sounded murderous._ I would love to actually. _

_Yeah right._ Gilbert snorted.

As the brunette walked into the kitchen he could hear three distinct sets of laughter. Toris could recognize one as Feliks's, deep but feminine all the same. The others were less recognizable.

Just as he expected, Feliks was leaning on the counter, eating some sort of dumpling with two black haired Asians - Lihn and Yao.

"Finally!" Feliks exclaimed. "I thought you wouldn't show up."

Yao handed the brunette a plate of the same dumpling-like food Feliks was eating.

"It's siu mai." Lihn said. "They're very good."

The brunette took one off the plate. Some of the filling was sticking out the top of the dumpling, and Toris could tell it was filled with pork. He took a bite and was not surprised to find it was delicious.

"It is good." The brunette replied, eating some more.

"Thank you." Yao said quietly, setting the plate on the counter where both he and Feliks could reach it.

"I can't believe you Toris." Lihn said quietly. "It's your first day here and you've already got on Gilbert's bad side."

"He shouldn't be threatening my brother like that." Toris replied.

Feliks snorted. "Like Gilbert would try anything now," The blond hoisted himself up onto the counter, sitting on it between Lihn and Yao. "He's a pansy."

Yao gave a deep chuckle in response before leaving the kitchen.

Feliks and Toris continued to eat. Lihn was busily washing dishes and wiping down countertops while at the same time talking about clothed with Feliks. Toris felt out of place. But when he made the attempt to leave, Feliks stopped him.

"I wouldn't, like, go upstairs right now Toris." The blonde said. "Who knows what's going on up there."

"What could be going on up there that you don't want me to know?"

"If you want to know, feel free to look Toris." Someone spat from behind him. The brunette turned around and saw he was face to face with Gilbert. His red eyes gleamed with hate and anger. But Toris could see something else, an emotion that made his skin crawl uncomfortably. Lust.

"What did you do?" Toris asked angrily.

"Your brother might not be in the same condition you left him." The albino responded before strutting out of the kitchen.

"No." Toris whispered as he ran as fast as he could to Raivis's bedroom.

Rooms passed but none were the right one. Toris felt sick to his stomach when he finally found room 528, with the door slightly ajar.

The brunette opened the door quietly, letting himself in. He scanned the room and saw his platinum blonde, violet eyed brother, curled up on his side under the comforter on his bed. The blanket was pulled past his shoulders, giving no clue to how much - if any - damage was done. Toris stepped closer to his brother, getting a better look.

The first thing Toris noticed were the bruises on his brother's cheeks and neck. The shadows cast by the moonlight streaming through the window made the bruises look like mere shadows from the doorway. But upon stepping closer, Toris could see the bruises were in the shape of fingers all around the blonde's neck and scattered below his cheekbones.

"Raivis?" Toris whispered.

"T-Toris?" The blond said, his voice thick with tears.

"What happened Raivis?" Toris asked though he didn't need to.

The blond cringed visibly under the blankets. Toris moved closer to his brother's bed and stretched out his hand to pull back the comforter that was wrapped around his brother's trembling form. Under the thick blanket the blond was shirtless, but the lower half of his body was completely clothed. Toris could now see that the bruises on his brother's neck extended past his collarbone and down his slender frame. Raivis's face was covered in small nicks and cuts here and there, and what seemed like bite marks on his earlobes. The blond's stomach was covered in scratch marks that were bleeding slightly at the edges.

Toris couldn't help but think how wrong all those marks were on his innocent brother's body.

When Toris touched Raivis's cheek he could feel tears and blood on his fingers.

"Raivis," The brunette crooned. "My brother, I'll never let this happen to you again." He stroked the blond's hair gently.

"Y-you didn't l-let this h-happen T-Toris." Raivis whispered.

"But I did. I never should have left you alone."

"D-don't c-cry T-Toris." Raivis shifted positions so he was lying on his back. The blond's normally lively - albeit frightened - eyes were dead. There was no light in them at this moment. Raivis wiped his brother's cheeks dry though his were wet as well.

"Let's get you cleaned up Raivis." Toris said, lifting the blonde easily up off the bed and transporting him to his bedroom.

The brunette sifted through his brother's medicine cabinet until he found cotton swabs and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. He wet he cotton with the pungent liquid and began to treat the wounds on his brother's face. The blond closed his emotionless eyes and let the elder of the two fuss over him.

"Does this sting?" Toris asked.

"N-not much m-more than t-tears did T-Toris." Raivis replied solemnly.

"Okay." The brunette moved onto Raivis's stomach and treated each of the scratch marks with care.

Each time Raivis flinched away from Toris the brunette responded with a quiet 'I'm sorry'.

"How did you get yourself into this, Raivis?" Toris asked in a voice he thought was too low for the blond to hear.

"I-Into w-what?" Raivis said, once again opening his lifeless violet eyes. "G-getting b-beat up?"

Toris swallowed back tears. "Yeah."

"Well," Raivis fidgeted in his heat on the toilet. "I-I remember hearing you on the i-intercom... and a few m-minutes later there was a knock on my door. G-Gilbert was standing there and then all of a sudden he was on t-top of me... s-straddling my l-legs... h-he p-pinned me down and punched me. Then," Raivis wiped away a few of his tears. "I b-blacked out. When I w-woke up we were on my b-bed and he was t-touching me. I-I kicked him but he wouldn't g-get off. I tried to s-scream but h-he covered my mouth. A-and I b-bit him but he grabbed my neck and c-choked me. Then he took off my s-shirt... a-and I tried t-to roll over to get him off me, but h-he scratched my stomach up. I d-didn't know what else t-to do, s-so I let h-him d-do what he wanted to me."

"And what did he do to you Raivis?" Toris whispered.

"H-he mostly k-kissed me, but he h-hit me and t-told me that..." Raivis's voice was a mere whisper. "h-he was going to k-kill you if I tried t-to g-get away a-again." The blond sobbed. "S-so I d-didn't. T-Toris, it f-felt so w-wrong."

The brunette pulled his brother into a tight embrace. "I know Raivis. I won't let him touch you again. I promise."

"D-don't l-leave me T-Toris." Raivis pleaded. "P-please. J-just keep w-working for Master B-Braginski. I-I don't w-want y-you to l-leave. N-not now."

Toris laid his head on top of his brother's. "Of course not. I'm not leaving you now." The brunette rocked their bodied like a mother would rock a sleeping child. "I won't let him hut you again."

Toris lifted his brother and moved him back to the bed. He laid the boy down in the center and grabbed a thinner blanket to drape over him. Once he had done so, he kissed his brother's forehead gently.

"Don't open the door for anyone." Toris instructed.

"I won't." Raivis responded quietly before the brunette walked slowly out of the room and back to his own, making sure all of the doors were closed safely behind him before collapsing onto his bed and into a restless sleep.


	6. Training

Promptly at 5:45 in the morning, Toris was awakened by the shrill ringing of the phone on his desk. The brunette groaned and got out of his warm bed to answer it.

"Hello?" he said groggily, rubbing his eyes to wake himself up more thoroughly.

"Hey Toris!" Antonio said cheerfully from the other end. "Breakfast is in 15 minutes okay? Bye Toris!" The Spaniard hung up the phone before the brunette had a chance to respond.

Toris sighed and walked slowly into his bathroom. On the counter next to his sink he found the clothes that Francis had sewn him. After putting on the black slacks, white shirt and jacket, Toris pulled his brown locks into a ponytail to keep it out of his face. The brunette reached into his discarded pants pocket and slipped his key card into one of the pockets of his jacket. After retrieving his ear piece from his bedside table he made his way down to the kitchen.

upon exiting his room, Toris was relieved to see that he wasn't the only one in the hall. Berwald and Tino were walking to the elevator when the smaller of the two called out to him.

"Come on Toris! You don't want to be late for breakfast, do you?" The Finnish man grinned.

Toris jogged over to the pair. Tino's smile widened, and even Berwald seemed to give his own reassuring grin.

"G'd m'rn'n T'r's." Berwald said in his thick Swedish accent.

"Good morning Berwald." Toris replied.

"Aren't you excited Toris? You get to start your training today! But of course that means I have to take over the Derringer order, and I know Feliks was excited about those pistols... but you're lucky that you have his teach you everything instead of Nataliya." Tino was practically bouncing off the walls. "'Cause that was brutal. She worked me to the bone the first couple weeks. You should be glad that you have someone considerate of your eating schedule and such. But don't think Feliks won't kick your ass if you let your guard down! He's just as bad as anyone else. I mean... Berwald and i could have taught you, sure, but we're not nearly as tough as Feliks or Nataliya, and that's why Master Braginski chooses them over us. Oh wow, we made it to the dining room already?"

Toris glanced around him and realized they had in fact made it to the dining room. He saw Feliks standing in the far corner, looking impatient.

"Well, we'll let you go Toris." Tino waved at the brunette warmly. "We'll see you at dinner tonight, okay?"

"Okay, goodbye Tino. Bye Berwald."

"G'db' T'r's." Berwald said, taking te Finnish boy's hand and leading him toward the dining table.

Toris glanced around the room. Maddox, Michelle, and Raivis were the only others present besides Feliks, Tino, Berwald, and himself. The brunette walked silently to his brother's side. Thr blond jumped slightly when the elder put a steady hand on his shoulder. Toris's heart swelled as he examined Raivis's face. Most of the cuts there had scabbed over. The bruises were more defined than they had been yesterday - darker and more demanding of attention.

"How are you?" Toris asked gently.

The blond's lavender eyes met his and Toris could tell that he was in fact better then he had been last night. Raivis almost seemed happy.

"B-better. A l-little sore, bue b-better." Raivis smiled a little, which made Toris feel slightly better himself.

"That's good. Did any-"

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by a slightly feminine voice.

"Toris, you need to eat so we can, like, begin your training." Feliks crossed is arms and drummed his fingers on his forearms impatiently.

The brunette turned around to face the Pole, and was forced to look down at the slightly shorter male.

"Feliks, my brother-"

"Yekaterina and Nataliya can watch him while we train." The blond glanced quickly at Raivis and back again.

"And what about Gilbert?" Toris asked anxiously.

"You won;t be seeing his around for a while. Ivan took care of him last night." The blond smiled and put his hand on Toris's shoulder. "He got what he deserved. Well, maybe not all he deserved, probably, like, a decent half."

The brunette turned back to his brother. "Will you be okay?"

"If N-Nataliya is watching me I have no doubt t-that I'll be fine." Raivis smiled again.

"Okay." Toris turned to Feliks again. "Let's go."

"You need to eat something." The Pole argued.

"Not hungry."

"You will be." Feliks smiled playfully. "When I'm done with you today, you'll be starving."

Toris sighed. "Fine, I'll eat."

"Good boy." Feliks purred as he started to pull the brunette into the kitches adjacent to the dining room.

"Yao, get Toris some food!" The blond called just as a solemn looking Lihn walked out of the pantry and over to where Feliks and Toris stood.

"I heard what happened Toris." Lihn said quietly. "I'm sorry Gilbert did that to your brother."

Toris nodded and smiled at the girl, ignoring how his head throbbed at the mention of Gilbert's name.

"We don't have all day Yao!" Feliks grumbled.

"Patience is a virtue, Feliks." Yao said, walking out of the main part of the kitchen and handing Toris a large plate of eggs and toast.

"Don't go all philosophical on me Yao." The Pole mumbled, glaring at the brunette before ordering him to start eating or he would regret it later. Toris obeyed and listened to Yao and Feliks argue playfully.

Most of the insults were aimed at how feminine each of them were. Both Yao and Feliks could easily pass for young women. Their soft features, clear skin, and high voiced could be interpereted as feminine, and each of them having longer hair didn't help that fact in the least. But the jokes were ignored and laughed at.

When Toris had finished eating Feliks practically dragged him out of the kitchen with hardly a goodbye to the Asians they rushed out on. The pair entered a hallway leading toward the south side of the mansion and Toris could see the sunrise out the windows on his left.

Feliks stopped on front of a door at the end of the hall. When the blond opened it a flight of stairs was revealed.

"Where are we going?" Toris asked.

Feliks started to descend the staircase. "Shooting range," was his only answer. Toris followed the blond quietly, keeping close because there was no light in the stairwell.

After nearly tripping over himself and falling down the stairs, Toris let his hand rest on Feliks's shoulder. Feliks took his hand shortly after that. Thankful that the blond couldn't see his face, Toris flushed a deep red.

When Feliks stopped abruptly, removing his hand from Toris's grasp and placing it gingerly on the brunette's stomach - signaling for him to stop as well-, Toris could tell that they had reached their destination.


	7. Unexpected

_**Author's Note **_**: Sorry if this showed up in your inbox twice ^^; OTL I just had to get this chapter up quickly because I was on vacation the past few ANYWAYS... I LOVE YOU ALL WHO READ MY STORY OMG IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME TO SEE ALL OF YOU GUYS REVIEWING AND SUBSCRIBING AND EVERYTHING JEEZ I LOVE YOU GUYS REALLY 3  
andIhaveastalker... YAY I LOVE YOU STALKER! 8D  
well anyway just know it is much appreciated~ (I support caps lock abuse. sorry)**

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The rest of the morning was spent through the wonderful task of target practice.

Toris's every move was scrutinized by the blond's watchful emerald eyes. If Feliks wasn't happy with Toris's form the brunette was promptly corrected, or the gun was taken from him and the blonde demonstrated the proper form, followed by a perfect shot to the target's center.

By lunch Toris's shoulders were sore and the day was only half over.

Feliks grinned widely as he and Toris made their way to the kitchen for lunch.

"Sore?" The blond asked, smiling.

Toris shrugged, wincing as the movement pulled at the muscles he wanted most not to move.

"Good." Feliks stopped and turned to the brunette.

"You go get lunch and, like, meet me back at the shooting range in an hour." The blond looked slightly slightly nervous.

Toris's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "You're not coming with me?"

"No." Feliks turned on his heels and walked into another short hall. "One hour."

Toris continued toward the kitchen.

Raivis, Matthew, and Antonio were sitting at the dining table as Toris walked in. Antonio called him over with a smile and the brunette quickly obliged. Matthew and Raivis were preoccupied and didn't seem to notice Toris's appearance.

"I saw him up today." Matthew said quietly.

"B-But Feliks s-said he w-wouldn't be up. N-Not for a c-couple of days." Raivis shook slightly.

"Well, apparently it wasn't as bad as Feliks thought." Matthew replied. "He was a little bruised, but fine."

Toris took the seat next to Antonio, directly across from Raivis. His brothers violet eyes met Toris's and they were fearful, almost weak looking compared to others he had seen. It frightened Toris to see how fragile his brother looked.

Antonio placed his hand over Raivis's and smiled. "Ah, you'll be fine Raivis."

Toris's gaze met Matthew's. The blonde remained quiet but mouthed a single word. Gilbert.

The brunette clenched his fists but this muscles protested.

"Are you okay?" Antonio asked quietly. "You look sick Toris."

The brunette stared down at his hands. "No, I'm fine. Just a little sore..."

Antonio chuckled. "It only gets worse from here."

"I believe that." Toris mumbled, trying to stay calm.

Antonio turned his attention back to the blonds sitting across from them.

Matthew shifted in his seat. "Francis should be down soon." He whispered, his cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.

"Everyone else. should be busy. This is usually the busiest time of year for this business." Antonio said, smiling widely.

"Really?" Toris asked. It seemed strange to him having this time of year be the busiest. The leaves on the trees were just changing color, green changing to rusty oranges and yellows, and the wind becoming ever colder with the days passing.

"Yes, odd I think." Antonio replied.

More employees entered as the Spaniard spoke. Francis, Berwald, and Lovino took seats at the table - Francis to Matthew's right, Berwald to Toris's left, and Lovino at the head, positioned between Raivis and Antonio.

The brunette turned to Berwald. "Where's Tino?" He asked, Toris had never seen them apart since he had started working in the Braginski household.

"W'rk'ng 'n th' D'r'ng'r 'rd'r." The Swede replied, looking uncomfortable and slightly worried without the short Finnish man at his side.

"Oh." Toris turned back to Antonio and the others, who were laughing hysterically at a snide comment that Lovino had made.

Lihn walked out of the kitchen bearing a large plate of sandwiches for the men sitting at the table. Francis reflected on how lovely Lihn's hair was, while Matthew tried to keep the Frenchman from leaping across the table at the girl. Antonio harassed Lovino about his tomato-face, and all the while Raivis, Berwald, and Toris sat quietly where they were.

Toris took a sandwich from the plate after Lihn set it down and thanked her quickly so she could get away from the Frenchman annoying her.

The rest of the hour Toris had was spent much like this, sitting and listening to their conversations. The bickering was all teasing, much like a child would tease its sibling. It was more like a family than anything else, a very close-knit family.

When Toris got up to leave, everyone - including Lovino - seemed mildly sad to see him go.

"Au revoir, mon chere!" Francis said, and every one else waved goodbye, knowing that Feliks had most likely told him to be back by then.

The trip back to the shooting range was made quickly. The door was found and opened, and Toris descended the stairs. About halfway down the brunette noticed voices - hushed and fast - down where he and Feliks had been before. Toris went down a few more steps, and the whispers became clearer, the words more distinct.

"... can't pretend it never happened Feliks." A raspy male voice said.

"Can't I?" Feliks replied.

"Don't pretend you didn't want it to happen."

"i didn't want it to happen Gilbert." Feliks spat. "We were young and it was a long time ago."

"Two years is a long time?" Gilbert laughed.

"Yes. You have to leave. Toris should be here any minute."

"I'm not done here Feliks."

"I think you are." Feliks huffed. "H-Hey! Get off me you-" The Pole's sentence was cut off.

Toris continued down the stairs quickly, not knowing what to expect. And what he saw was nothing he could have ever expected.

Feliks's back was pressed to one wall, looking uncomfortable, with his wrists pinned on either side of his head by a pair of pale hands. Gilbert's face was pressed to the blond's, their chests touching. Toris hadn't been noticed, a fact for which he was thankful.

"I'm exactly right for you. You know how easy being with me would be." Gilbert said, just loud enough for Toris to hear.

"Well I don't want that anymore Gilbert." The blond pushed the albino away from him forcefully. "Get out."

Gilbert shook his head and stepped away from the blond. Feliks looked directly at Toris and gave him one of those if-you-saw-anything-you-had-better-not-bring-it-up looks.

The albino stormed past Toris and up the staircase, slamming the door behind him.

"you guts weren't-" Toris blurted out.

"Shut up." Feliks turned his back to the brunette and went into one of the compartments. Toris followed.

"You were together."

"No shit." Feliks spat.

"You and Gilbert. Were together."

"Okay." Feliks turned to the brunette. "If you want me to shoot you for saying the same thing over and over again, feel free to continue." The Pole pulled out a handgun.

"I can't believe this." Toris blushed.

Feliks shoved the gun into the brunettes stomach. "Target practice."

"Again?"

The blond snapped his fingers. "Go."

"Feliks we-"

"Go and maybe I'll tell you about my relationship with that German."

The brunette frowned and made his way to the spot in front of the target and lifted the gun to arms-length and held it with both hands.

Feliks stared at Toris angrily. "Don't lock your elbows." He tapped his foot when the brunette didn't shoot. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"I want the whole story." Toris glanced down at the shorter male, smirking.

"All of it?" Feliks huffed, his cheeks darkening slightly.

"All of it. Then I'll shoot." The brunette moved his arms back to his sides.

The Pole sighed. "Fine. Like, where do I start?"He put his hand on his hip and bit his lip, staring up at Toris for guidance.

"How did you meet?"

"Master Braginski hired him."

"And...?" Toris asked.

"And what? He was new. He liked me and I liked him. I trained him when he first got here, but Master Braginski assigned him a chemist position. We hardly saw each other. It didn't work out."

There was an awkward silence. "Did you love him?" Toris blushed and stared down at his hands.

"No. He loved me." The brunettes head snapped up. "I broke it off when he said it. Theres no room for love here. You'll only end up getting hurt." Feliks chuckled. "Love makes you do stupid things Toris."

"But you still care for him."

Feliks sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I do." The blond glared at the brunettes face. "Now shoot the damn target."

Toris laughed. "Of course."

* * *

Feliks gigggled as he watched Toris try to walk without moving his arms.

"Stop that. It really hurts Feliks." The brunette groaned.

"Oh, I know. It's just, like, funny for me, I guess." The blond stared at the door to the kitchen in front of them.

Toris sighed. "You're kidding, right?"

Feliks laughed and opened it, stepping aside so Toris could get through.

"Thanks."

The dining room was packed. Everyone was there, Gilbert, unfortunately, included. Laughter was heard from every direction. Toris expected Feliks to pick up on the cheerful mood, but the Pole looked deeply concerned.

"This never happens... not unless..." The blonde's eyes widened. "Shit."

Toris stared at Feliks blankly. "Hey... what's wrong? Feliks...?"

The blond grabbed Toris's hand and pulled him through the dining room into the hall leading to Master Braginski's office.

"He, like, couldn't have... not this soon..." The Pole mumbled to himself.

"Feliks." The brunette stopped dead in his tracks. "What's wrong? Everyone looked... happy."

"Well that's not always a good thing, now, is it?" The Pole's emerald eyes studied the brunette's concerned expression. "Come on. You'll need to be there." He continued to pull Toris along with him.

"Well, for what?" Toris asked.

"I think..." The blond sighed. "I, like, think that Ivan has set up a deal. Like... soon."

The brunette's face paled. "A-A deal? Now?"

"No. Not now... Maybe, like... a week? If not that no more than three months."

"Well thats a good thing, right? A month would-"

"No. Thats barely a=enough time to train you. We'll need a month and a half... at least."

Toris stumbled. "Feliks I'm a fast learner."

The blond glanced at the brunette. "You think that matters?"

"I would think so."

Feliks stared up at the looming mahogany doors in front of them. "Just shut up and don't speak unless spoken to."

The blond pushes open the doors, and for the third time in three days, stepped inside.

Feliks rushed in front of the brunette. "Master Braginski, surely you couldn't have-"

"Ah~ Feliks! And Toris as well!" The Russian's violet eyes lit up as he saw the pair walk in. He sat up in his chair. "What could bring you here, moi dorogoi?"

"Ivan you know that Toris just started training. A deal too soon could get him killed." Feliks said defiantly.

"You have plenty of time to train him, malyutka. Five weeks is enough, da?" The Russian smiled.

Feliks visibly relaxed. "It could be risky, Ivan."

"But you will train him, da? I trust you Feliks."

"Thank you Ivan." Feliks said. "Like... who is the deal for?"

Ivan leaned back, smiling. "We will discuss that in the morning, da?"

"Alright." Feliks turned back to Toris and pulled him out of the poorly lit office once more.

"You're lucky, you know that?" Feliks said when they were halfway back to the kitchen.

Toris stared at him, confused. "What?"

"Any sooner than five weeks and you, like, wouldn't be ready. Ivan must be highly confident in you." Feliks smiled a little, his eyes alight with humor.

"I... I guess." Toris smiled back at the Pole.

Feliks laughed. "We're going to have to train, like, twice as hard now, you know that, right?"

The brunette sighed. "I figured that much."

"Hope you're up for it." The blond grinned.

"Of course I am." The brunette replied, a little uneasy.

"Good."


	8. Home

_**Author's Note**_** : WOW THIS TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE. High School is a bitch, to say the least.. and I hope to get the next chapter up before I go to a convention next month. HOPEFULLY TWT **

**Thank you for all the reviews~ They make my day every time**

**LOVE YOU LOTS ~~~~~~~**

**and I just realized that this is one of the shortest chapters so far. TnT For some reason that makes me sad. . . **

* * *

The next morning came far too soon. Every muscle in Toris's upper body ached. The brunette would have given anything for another hour or two of sleep. Antonio's cheery voice didn't help the fact that Toris really wanted to be left alone to handle the pain on his own.

As soon as Toris walked out the door into the hallway, he was greeted by Feliks and, oddly enough, Raivis. The brunette sighed.

"Took you long enough," Feliks grumbled. "Let's go."

Toris was about to ask where the hell they were going when last nights events flooded back into his still half-conscious mind.

Feliks grabbed Toris by the elbow, causing the brunette to flinch. The Pole just chuckled.

Raivis stayed by his brother's side, trying to help the brunette stay on his feet.

Feliks led the two into a hallway leading away from Ivan's office.

"W-Where-?" The brunette began.

"His other office." Feliks said.

"His _other_ office..? How many-" Toris asked, again getting cut off.

"Four."

"Four?"

"Look," Feliks sighed. "If you're just going to repeat everything I say in a question..." The blonde bit his lip. "Well, just shut the fuck up."

Toris chuckled. "Thanks for bieng _so_ nice about it."

"You're welcome." Feliks replied curtly as he opened a small door and let Raivis step inside. Toris followed.

This office was a vast improvement over the other. Three of the walls were lined with bookshelves filled with books. The last wall was a window. Floor-to-cieling glass, looking out over the Braginski estate's grounds. There was infinetely more light in this office, most of it natural, making Toris's brown hair fill with fiery hilights.

The brunette noticed four others in the room with them. Tino and Berwald stood near one of the bookshelved walls to Toris's right, and standing nearest the glass wall were Antonio and Romano.

Before the brunette had the chance to ask Feliks what Antonio and Romano were doing here, an overlt cheery voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Privet!" Ivan let out a low chuckle menacing enough to make Toris shiver. "Ah.. I assume you want all of the details, da?"

"Damn straight we do." Romano said, crossing his arms nd stepping in front of the Russian's desk. "Why the fuck am I here anyway, Braginski?"

_So he doesnt know either..?_

Ivan chuckled again, making the Italian back down slightly. "Ah.. I shall explain in time, dear Lovino..." The russian took a book off of one of the shelves to his right and took out a piece of paper and a photograph, He set these on his desk.

Feliks took the paper and read it quickly.

Toris glanced at the photograph. A muscular blonde man stared back at him. Squared off glasses were positioned on the bridge of the man's nose and he had electric blue eyes. The man couldn't have been older than twenty.

"Alfred F. Jones." Feliks said in a slightly amused tone.

"You've got to be shitting me." Lovino groaned. "This can't be happening."

"Da, Romano~" Ivan smiled. Your brother will be happy to see you."

Antonio giggled. "It's a small world, si, Romanito?~"

Romano walked toward the door. "Fuck this."

"Romano." The russian growled. The italian shook slightly.

"Get back over here."

The italian did as he was told.

"Now then," Ivan continued, his tone of voice a startling contrast to how it was before. "Any questions?"

"Y's 'v'n." Berwald grunted. "' th'nk 'm g'ng t' s't th's 'n' 't."

The Russian frowned. "And why would that be. Berwald?"

"' d'nt p'rt'c'l'rly g't 'l'ng w'th 'n' 'f h's w'rk'rs..." Berwald said quietly. Ivan merely laughed.

"Then this shall be interesting, da?" he chuckled. "I'm sure Mikkel will be surprised as well."

The Swede's face reddned slightly as the Russian said that name. Tino patted the taller man's chest but said nothing to comfort him.

"The plane will take all of you to Canada and one of his workers with take both you and the product to his estates. You will stay there for a few days before returning with the payment to me." Ivan's smile never wavered. "It's a routine deal. Nothing Feliks hasn't handled before, da?"

Toris glanced at the blonde, who was smiling slightly.

"Of course Ivan, even with the Lithuanian holding us back."The Pole smirked.

Toris was shocked that Feliks had just said that.

"But Toris shall try his best, da?" Ivan smiled.

"O-Of course, I-Ivan.." The brunette stuttered.

Ivan chuckled. "Good. You may leave now, da?"

Feliks pulled Toris out of the office quickly. As soon as he was fully out the door, the brunette jerked his arm out of the blonde's grasp.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Toris whispered fiercely.

Feliks chuckled. "It's true. You hold us back."

"Then why do you even bother?" The brunette retorted.

Feliks replied with a light punch in the stomach. "Because it's my job. Come on, let's go."

"Go where?" Toris growled.

"The garden. You're sore. I'm not that mean." Feliks chuckled.

Toris looked at Feliks suspiciously, but agreed.

The Pole led Toris through the house and out through double doors into a garden that was in the midst of fall.

Toris could already see Ismael and Sadiq pulling up weeds in a nearby patch of sunflowers.

Feliks pulled the Lithuanian through an arch into a clearing - no more than tenty feet wide by twenty feet long- completely barren save for a hige oak tree, directly in the center.

The Pole walked to the tree and without hesitation took off his shoes and climbed up onto a branch at about Toris's eye-level. The blonde smirked as Toris stood there awkwardly.

"You dont expect me to climb up there, do you?" the brunette asked.

The blonde laughed. "Not unless you want to."

Toris instead decided to sit down at the base of the tree instead. Feliks's bare feet were a few inches in front of the brunette's face.

Feliks hopped off the branch and sat next to Toris, their shoulders touching slightly.

"So no training today?" Toris asked.

Feliks laughed quietly. "Nope."

"Why not..?"

The blonde glared at Toris playfully. "Are you, like, complaining?"

Toris's eyes widened. "N-No!"

"Good."

They stayed there for a few minutes, completely comfortable in the silence, until Toris heard someone - quiet footfalls that were the only sound besides Feliks's breathing and the sound of his own heartbeat. Both looked up at the entrance to the clearing. White hair, pale skin, and violet-red eyes met Toris's gaze. He could see Feliks blush lightly out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey Feliks." The German said loudly, a smirk plastered to his sickly white face.

Toris wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile off the albino's face.. Again.

Feliks rolled his eyes. "Fuck you."

Gilbert chuckled. "You already have."

Feliks blushed deeper.

Toris growled. "What do you want, Gilbert?"

The albino scoffed. "None of your business. Get out."

The brunette stood up swiftly, as if to fight with the German, but instead angrily left the clearing.

When the brunette was halfway back to the house, he heard Feliks screaming at Gilbert to leave him alone, but that was quickly cut off.

Toris nearly sprinted back to the house, and had to push the thoughts about what could be happening back in the clearing out of his mind.

And for reasons Toris didn't yet understand, those thoughts made his heart swell and his mind go into a fit of jealous rage.

* * *

The entire house was quieter than Toris had ever heard it. The intercom was completely silent. The brunette felt alone, helpless. Almost like there was no one around to hear him scream.

Toris quickly walked to an elevator before he let his mind wander too much. As he pressed the buttons that would take him back to his floor, the brunette felt uneasy. That feeling of uneasiness didn't let up until Toris reached the door to his room, inserted his key card into the slot, and opened it. As the brunette felt the almost too-damp air caress his face and the exposed areas of his neck, the Lithuanian felt at home.


	9. Uncertainty

**_Author's Note _: I'VE BEEN NEGLECTING YOU GUYS. QAQ... I'm so sowwe... I've been so busyyyy. It has been too long~ And also, I am so glad that some of you have followed me this long XD I love you all~ So much~ Reallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy~  
And yes, I know there are a lot of characters but it all has a purpose! I promise you~  
... OH GOD WHY AM I LISTENING TO A YAOI DRAMA CD WHILE TYPING THIS. WHYYYYYYYYYY?**

* * *

The brunette laid there. A few minutes, a few hours, who knows?

What shook the brunette out of his trance was a quiet knock, hardly audible over the sound of his own breathing. Toris groaned, but got up and opened the door.

Fully expecting to see Raivis on the other side - asking him where he had been all day - Toris was surprised to see Feliks there, looking as if he was about to burst into tears.

"F-Feliks?" Toris stuttered. "W-What happened?"

"Gilbert..." The blond whispered and bit his lip. "He tried to..."

Toris's eyes widened. "Oh God... Come in, Feliks."

The brunette stepped aside, allowing the Pole to walk into his room before anyone else noticed that something was wrong.

The blond sat on Toris's bed and the brunette sat on the chair at his desk. Feliks looked uncomfortable, and even slightly sick. Before Toris could realize what he was saying, he found himself asking of Feliks would like to stay with him for the night. The blond hesitantly agreed.

Toris drummed his fingers on his thigh, a nervous habit. "Do you want to talk about it..?"

Toris cursed himself silently. _Of course_ he wouldn't want to talk about it.

The blond shook his head. "Thanks for letting me stay with you.. I don't know what would happen if I stayed alone.."

Toris shrugged. "No problem."

The Pole hugged his knees to his chest. The brunette could already tell that whatever was going on was really taking its toll on the small Pole in front of him.

Toris had always been good at reading people. He could already pick out relationships in the house. Romano was in love with Antonio, but tried - poorly - to keep that fact to himself. Antonio was obviously too dense to notice. Francis and Matthew were also romantically involved, which must have been hard on Matthew considering that Francis was after almost everyone in the house.

But Feliks was slightly harder to read. The brunette stared at the blond for a few long moments, trying to figure out exactly how hard he was taking it.

Toris could already tell that Feliks was an introvert, and did not usually spill his emotions out to others. Was he scared they would think he was weak?

The Lithuanian wanted desperately to know what was going on in the blond's head. But Feliks's face was blank, giving Toris no clue to what he was feeling. There was no emotion behind those emerald eyes, a fact that worried Toris deeply.

_What are you thinking..?_

The blond took a shaky breath. Toris looked away, embarrassed as Feliks's vivid eyes met his own seemingly dull forest green ones. The brunette could see that Feliks was frightened.

Toris was slightly taken aback. What would Feliks, of all people, be scared of? If Gilbert had really just tried to rape him, what were the chances it would ever happen again?

Unless...

Toris felt the words spill out of his mouth. "Has this happened before?"

Feliks jumped at the sudden break of silence. "What?"

Toris blushed and turned his head away to hide the sudden rush of blood to his cheeks. "H-Has Gilbert ever tried to... do that.. before?"

"Once."

Toris bit his lip, almost hard enough to draw blood.

The blond crossed his legs. "It was a while ago... I was doing paperwork-"

The brunette sighed. "You don't have to talk about it." Toris fought the urge to add, "but I want you to."

Feliks nodded. "Thank you.."

The blond stared at the wall for a while, and Toris watched him. Neither spoke until Feliks suggested that they both sleep. Toris did so gratefully.

* * *

Toris woke up early the next morning. He glances at the clock on his bedside table, it read 4:51 AM.

The brunette glanced over at the small couch pressed against the wall on the other side of his room. Feliks lay there, eyes closed and breathing peacefully even.

Toris sighed, remember how he had insisted that the blond take the bed, but Feliks would have none of it.

_Do you want me to make you run a mile for training tomorrow?_ The Pole had asked, a smirk on his face.

_N-No.._ The brunette had replied timidly.

_Then you'll take the bed. _The blond had flopped onto the couch. _Night, Toris..._

The brunette rubbed his temples. Feliks was stubborn to say the least.

Toris went into his bathroom and decided to take a shower. He turned the water on, letting the steam that laced itself through the cold air fill the small space as the brunette tried to clear his head.

_What is happening to me?_ Toris thought as he stepped under the comfortingly hot stream of water. Almost immediately, the brunette's tense muscles relaxed.

"Why am I so stressed..?" Toris whispered to himself.

_I care about him.. That's all... _

Toris nodded. "That must be it.."

_Right?_


	10. Preparation

**_Author's Note : _ I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LATE AND SO SHORTTTTTTTTT OH MY PLEASE DON'T HURT MEEE ;A;A;A; I'm sorry you guys. School sucks. And I cosplay... so.. I'm at cons a lot OTL; Yeah. Next con is next Saturday so I don't think I'm going to update soon... But.. OTL... SORRY THIS CHAPTER SUCKS. Next chapter you'll get some action~ And I'm going to start working on another FanFic.. Spamano.. Ahh... my dearly beloved Spamano o,u,o But yeah be looking forward to that~ It might just be a one-shot though... *shot* Nyehh... I love you guys. ;u; Thanks for reading~****_  
_**

* * *

Toris walked back out of the bathroom quietly. The shower had done it's job. The brunette stared at the clock.

5:30 AM.

He sighed quietly. Barely half an hour had passed. And there were still fifteen minutes before Antonio or Lovino would call to wake them both up...

Toris sighed and stared at his wall, seeing nothing. It was oddly calming to the brunette. The only sounds in the room were those of his own heartbeat and Feliks's breathing. For once the blond was completely calm, which comforted the Lithuanian.

Toris turned toward the sleeping blonde. Feliks's face was smooth and emotionless. Sleep often did that to people. The brunette thought the POle looked oddly childlike and vulnerable.

Toris watched Feliks for a few minutes. Without realizing it, he reached out to the blonde, caressing his cheek. The feel of the blonde's untouched skin under his hand was intoxicating. The brunette pulled his hand away.

Why had he just done that? He couldn't begin to comprehend why, just that he had done it.

And it had felt nice.

Toris smiled and continues watching the peaceful face of his teacher.

The shrill ringing of the phone made Toris jump. He watched as the blond's emerald eyes fluttered open before getting up to answer the phone.

Toris rubbed his temples as he listened to Loino yell at him to wake the fuck up. The brunette sighed and hung up the phone.

He turned back to Feliks, blushing lightly at the realization that the blond was awake. He was no longer a child, yet Toris still wanted to reach out and caress his face. Feliks flushed lightly and stood up.

The blond cleared his throat. "We should go."

Toris nodded but said nothing. Feliks took the brunette's wrist, making the slight blush on the Lithuanian's cheeks deepen. The blond led Toris out into the hallway. Feliks faced the brunette and bit his lip.

"Uh..I just..." Feliks looked down "Thank you. For everything..."

"No problem." Toris bit his lip.

Feliks looked up at the brunette. The blonde blushed lightly and looked at Toris with his piercing green eyes.

Feliks did the last thing Toris would have ever expected.

The blonde kissed Toris's already flushed cheek, turned, and walked down the hall without another word.

* * *

_Shit..._

That was the only thought going through the brunette's mind.

Two weeks had passed. Two backbreakingly brital weeks where Feliks had pushed Toris far beyond his breaking point.

_Hand to hand combat,_ Feliks had said, _aren't you excited?_

_No wonder he had that face afterwards..._ Toris thought. If he knew what had been in store for him, he would have thought better of his answer.

Feliks had worked the brunette to the bone. Every night he had to tend to a new bruise or two. A slice to his cheek, a small section of his hair scalped, a couple stitched, it didn't matter to Feliks. He always pushed Toris herder, faster, closer to breaking. He never had a day to relax anymore.

And on top of it all, it was only a little over two weeks until the deal.

* * *

Toris stared at the paint ball gun in his hand. There was no way they would use this, right?

But Feliks insisted, and took Toris to a rather large house in one corner of the estate. There were signs of others inside, such as a few open packages of paint balls and a shiny red Vespa parked outside the driveway, but the blonde said nothing, and didn't even bother to acknowledge it.

Toris spoke up. "Feliks? What's going on?"

Feliks smirked and turned toward the brunette.

"There are four armed guards in that house, as well as a package with a rather large sum of money. Get that package without being shot yourself and you, like, pass."

Toris's eyes widened. "What?"

Feliks only said one word.

"Go."


	11. Challenges

**_Author's Note _: I'M UPDATING THIS FOR YOU GUYS TODAY!~ AREN'T YOU PROUD? OTL You guys deserve more then that... 800 word thing yesterday A So here you areee~~~~**

* * *

Toris gulped down the taste of bile that had risen in his throat as Feliks pushed him into the not-so-vacant house. Toris heard the door close behind him, and the deadbolt lock. The brunette turned around and nearly had his heart beat out of his chest.

He couldn't get out. The deadbolt lock required a key from both sides.

"Shit.." He mumbled, and took a hesitant step into the room. The Lithuanian saw a few pieces of strong looking furniture, already covered in a few paint ball splatters and scratched with what looked like knife marks. The bile rose in his throat again.

_God damnit Feliks..._

The brunette sank into a crouch behind a thick Victorian styled love seat, which was accompanied by quite a loud creak from the floorboards.

Toris's eyes widened. He closed his eyes tightly.

There was quiet rustling from the other side of the room. The Lithuanian looked under the couch and saw a new of feet clad in leather shoes about 5 feet away.

Toris gulped and set his finger on the trigger.

He stood up slowly and faced the other man in the room. Lovino had his back turned and Toris smirked. Perfect.

Toris aimed at the small Italian and pulled the trigger, making a neon orange splatter of paint appear on the Italian's pristine white shirt. Lovino screamed as the impact caused blood vessels to pop and a bruise to form that would take a while to heal.

He heard another set of feet come running toward him, and a voice that was recognizably Antonio's, calling "Lovi? Lovi what happened?", coming from the doorway to Toris's right. The brunette turned his gun to the doorway, and just as the Spaniard appeared, shot him just above the bellybutton. Antonio doubled over and groaned at the sensation of paint ball to his skin.

Toris looked around and saw that Lovino was standing with his hands behind his head, his cheeks puffed out in a slight pout. Antonio soon did the same. Toris gulped and made his way upstairs silently.

_Antonio, I told you not to move from your spot no matter what. _Toris heard Feliks say over the intercom. The brunette bit his lip.

_Ahhh... Lo siento Feliks~ I thought mi Lovinito was in trouble~_ The Spaniard replied.

Toris gulped and made it to the top of the stairwell. He looked around and didn't see anyone. The brunette stepped onto the landing and heard another loud creak.

The Lithuanian pressed his back to the closest wall and looked around the loft of the house. He heard someone walking toward him from his left..

Toris aimed his gun to the two doors on his left hand side. He saw Tino step out silently and quickly, and the brunette was quite lucky that the small Finnish man had not noticed him right then. The brunette aimed and pulled the trigger, but missed the blond's side where he was aiming. The Finnish man spun around and aimed at the brunette and pulled the trigger.

Toris closed his eyes, expecting the sharp, hard impact of the paint ball into his abdomen but was rewarded with a sharp _click_ from the small blond's gun, followed by a scared "perkele!"

Toris opened his eyes and watched as the blond dropped his gun. The brunette raised his own, aimed at Tino's chest, and pulled the trigger.

The blond huffed and closed his eyes tightly as he tried to wipe the paint off his clothes and the few paint splatters that had traveled to his small round face.

"Sorry.." Toris mumbled as he looked around for the last guard in the house.

The brunette looked through the bedrooms in the upstairs of the house but found nothing. Toris began to worry.

He finally made it to the master bedroom. And, much to the brunette's relief, there was a brown paper wrapped box lying on the silky looking sheets. Toris walked to the package and picked it up, thinking this was surprisingly easy. But that changed as he saw a flash of yellow to his right and a loud _thump_, the yellow paint ball exploding on the dark wood of the bed's headboard. Toris looked up toward the small opening that adjoined the bathroom to the master suite, but saw no one. Yet, clearly there was someone watching him.

The brunette sank down to the floor, so he was hidden by the bed, and therefore hidden from whoever was watching him from inside the bathroom. The brunette looked under the bed, and saw the shine of a leather shoe coming from inside the bathroom. Toris bit his lip.

_The bed... Of course.._

The slender Lithuanian slid his gun under the bed first, making sure that whoever was inside the bathroom could not see it from their vantage point. Then, he followed suit. The brunette slid himself close to the headboard of the bed, clinging to the wall. He gulped and slid his gun out from under the bed slowly, not making a sound.

Toris slid up behind the bed's headboard and took a hesitant step out, grabbing his gun from the floor quickly. The brunette gulped and slid across the wall, closer to the bathroom's opening.

He heard quiet steps on the inside from whoever was in there. Toris bit his lip hard and whirled around the corner into the bathroom. He looked around.

There was no one.

The brunette shook his head. There was someone in here. There had to be..

Then Toris heard a _click_ to his right. The brunette turned around quickly and saw Berwald, with his gun pointed directly at his chest. The blond man chuckled.

Toris bit his lip again and did some quick thinking, which he knew he was no good at.

The brunette raised his gun and waited for the blond to fire.

Berwald closed one of his bespectacled eyes and raised his gun toward the small Lithuanian.

Toris backed up slightly before feeling the smooth, cool touch of glass to the skin under his shirt. The Lituanian's eyes widened and he looked in the mirror. A closet.

Berwald pulled the trigger.

Toris ducked out of the way of the paint ball and slipped his fingers past the door of the closet, pushing it open and allowing himself to slip inside. He heard Berwald's paint ball shatter the glass on the door he was just standing in front of. Toris caught his breath and held his gun close to him, closing his eyes.

The brunette made ready his gun and looked down at the floor, making sure he wouldn't trip on anything when he tried to make his way out again.

Toris gulped and stepped out of the closet, aiming his gun toward the Swede and firing at the tall man's stomach.

Toris watched the paint ball send splatters of color onto the man's white shirt. The Swede sighed.

"T'k' 't." He mumbled.

Toris nodded and walked back to the bed in the adjacent room. The brunette picked up the package, which was surprisingly light in his hand. He fingered the smooth paper before he realized, he had won.

He won.


	12. Differences

**_Author's Note _: Um... nerr... I'm bored XD So.. heres another chapter for you guys 8D I listened to Auto-tune the news the entire time I wrote this XD DON'T JUDGE ME**

* * *

Feliks waited for the brunette.

He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Feliks glanced at his watch. Only en minutes had passed. Ten minutes was long enough for Lovino or Antonio to have shot him. They should have notified him by now.

The Pole sighed and tapped his foot on the sidewalk. Then he heard it.

_H' g't 't._

Feliks's eyes widened. He couldn't have. There was no one that had finished the course in one try since... The blond shook his head. He would _not_ compare Toris to that idiot German. They were just so different...

"Should I open the door?" Feliks's voice shook slightly. Not that anyone would notice it. That was just so out of character they would brush it off as nothing.

_Y'd b'tt'r._

Feliks bit his lip and made his way to the door, unlocking it. He opened the door wide so the brunette could get through.

"Hurry up Toris. We don't have all day." The blond shouted. He sighed and picked lightly at his nails, scraping the hints of dirt out from under them, looking slightly annoyed.

But on the inside he was actually quite content with how he had trained the Lithuanian. Gilbert had been his best work, hadn't he? Of course..best was used loosely. Very loosely.

The brunette walked out of the house and handed Feliks the paper-wrapped box that he had put in place himself earlier. The blond took it and fingered the slightly grainy wrapping.

"Good job." He said slowly. The Pole couldn't believe this. There was no way Toris could have...

Toris bit his lip. "Thanks.." The Lithuanian looked down.

Feliks blushed softly. "This was, like, it for the day."

Toris nodded and walked past the blond, back to the house. Feliks looked after him and bit his lip. He followed the brunette quietly and crossed his arms. It was about time he caught on.

* * *

Feliks was restless to say the least.

Toris was his best protege by far. Gilbert had finished the course in one try, sure, but it had taken him how long to complete it? Almost twice as long as it had taken the idiot Lithuanian. That could mean that Toris isn't as cautious as Gilbert. That could easily cost someone their lives on a deal. But Feliks wasn't at all concerned.

Toris would do fine. He'd have to. Ivan had enough trust in the Lithuanian to hire him into the team without a background check or even so much as talking to his brothers about his past. Ivan had good instincts, didn't he?

_Of course he did... They haven't failed us yet._ Feliks thought.

"Well...like, mostly." He whispered. Feliks sat at the dining room table alone. It was always a good place to think between mealtimes. He picked at his nails lightly, thinking about Toris.

Toris hadn't insulted him, so far. Feliks was glad for that. This time had been so different from Gilbert. Gilbert was defiant and, well, an idiot. He didn't think before acting, but Toris was cautious. He thought about the consequences before acting. But Toris didn't know when to stop. He pushed Feliks to his limit.. though Feliks wasn't sure if Toris knew where his breaking point was. Most people didn't.

"Why don't they get it..?"

Why didn't people try to read him more?

Why weren't the other people in the more like Toris? Feliks could see him trying to read his emotions. Reading his expressions.. He has no idea how he could do that. Just watch someone to see how they were feeling that day.

_Why can't I be more like him..?_ Feliks thought.

The blond sighed. "I'm nothing like him.."

_Of course I'm not.._ Feliks bit his lip and closed his eyes.

"At least he can accept his feelings.." The blond stood up and sighed. He began to walk back to his room.

"He's a good kid." Feliks mumbled. The blond left it at that.

* * *

_Toris clashed his lips into Feliks's, making a soft groan utter from the blond's throat. Toris slammed Feliks's back into the wall of the elevator. Feliks shuddered and licked Toris's lower lip. The brunette chuckled quietly and denied he blonde entrance. The Lithuanian pulled away from the Pole and moved to the blond's neck, sucking and nipping the supple skin slowly. Feliks pulled the Lithuanian's soft hair and groaned._

_"Toris... Nnnn.." The blonde arched his neck. Toris bit the blond's neck, leaving a mark. Feliks started to pant lightly._

_"Feliks..."_

_"T-Tak?" The blonde looked down at the brunette, who was still preoccupied with his neck. Feliks bit his lip and shivered slightly. _

_Toris pulled away from the blond's neck and stared at Feliks's flushed face. "I love you."_

Feliks woke up, startled. He sat up in his bed and covered his mouth quickly.

"Damnit..." Feliks uttered and blushed. "There's, like, no possible way I just.."

Feliks mentally slapped himself across the face.

He did _not_ have feelings for Toris. There was absolutely no way they could ever afford that.

"Snap out of it Feliks. Snap out of it.." The blond lies back down in his bed and stared at the wall before falling back into a restless slumber.


	13. Unveil

**_Author's Note _: Here you go lovelies! It's been a while hasn't it? Sorry. Cosplaying has gotten the better of me! Just saying that Comicon was AMAZING and Belgium is my new favorite cosplay. Besides Deadman Wonderland that is.. eventhoughI'vebarelystartedit. ANYWAY Pleaseeeeeeee comment and stuff! I apologize that there were a few typos in the last chapter. I'm going to go through and fix those soon! Promise!**

**Also! I got a Tumblr! Bandwagon much? I think so! Follow me on there guys! Now. Harlequin-minds. Follow it.**

**/shameless self promotion**

* * *

Feliks slammed the butt of the rifle into Toris's chest, causing the brunette to cough violently, gasping for the slightly damp air filling the bunker after the last night's rain.

"Like, you're such an idiot. Can't you do anything right?" The Pole shouted, his face a mask of bitter annoyance that Toris had never seen before.

Toris gulped and set a hand over his heart. "I did a pretty good job yesterday didn't I?"

Feliks froze, glaring down at the Lithuanian. "Keep telling yourself that." The blonde smirked and threw the heavy rifle onto the brunette's abdomen, making the brunette wince and inhale sharply, rolling onto his side and curling up slightly into a ball.

"J-Jackass.." Toris groaned, clutching his abused stomach tightly.

Feliks smirked. "Oh, I'm the jackass? Fine. I'll play the part." Feliks narrowed his shining emerald eyes. "Get up. Now."

Toris glared at the blonde, sitting up on his elbows. "Make me." His eyes shone with an irritating air that made the Pole want to punch him in the face.

Feliks sighed quietly. "Do I need to aim lower this time?"

Toris's face went slightly pale before standing up as Feliks had instructed.

"That's what I thought." The blond crossed his arms. "Run."

Toris narrowed his eyes. "You're shitting me."

"Nope."

"Well then let me fuck up your lungs and you can run with me, Feliks."

Feliks growled quietly. "Fuck you."

The brunette sat back down on the floor, his cheeks with a faint red tint. "Idiot."

The Pole watched him silently for a few moments, slightly bewildered that Toris had had the nerve to sit back down. Then again, he _had _hit him in the chest quite a few times, but Toris should have learned to be on time, right? This had become a routine and there was no reason for him to be this late. A few minutes, sure, Feliks would have understood. But an hour and a half was unreasonable, wasn't it? There was so little time until the deal, was it really Feliks's fault for, well, beating Toris up for it?

"I'm sorry I was late."

The blond looked down at Toris and bit his lower lip. "Good."

"Good?"

"Good."

"Why is it good?" Toris mumbled after a moment.

Feliks closed his eyes. "We don't have, like, a lot of time left, y'know. I know you've been doing an okay job, I guess.. But I still don't want anyone dying on my watch."

Toris stared up at Feliks's blank face.

"Even me?"

"Even you."

* * *

Two weeks had passed.

Three days were left until the deal.

Toris stood in the shower, thinking. There was no use trying to be on time today. Yesterday Feliks had insisted that he take some time off, to be at least an hour late: at least.

Feliks had been going easy on Toris. It wasn't really that hard to tell. Feliks didn't make the brunette strain himself as hard as he would have a few weeks ago.

The blonde had told Toris, _never strain yourself unless absolutely necessary, you might regret it later._

The brunette knew this was true, but why bother holding back now? Shouldn't this be the time when Feliks pushes him harder and harder? If he were to ever train someone, Toris thought, this would be the time that he would truly test their abilities.

But Toris saw the reason behind the Pole's decision.

If Toris were bruised and sore and complaining (not that he had ever complained before) during the deal, he wouldn't be of much use to the rest of his friends when they were doing their jobs to the best of their abilities.

The brunette would just weigh them down if he was hurt. Not that he would be of much use to the others anyway, Feliks had already told him. _Tino and Berwald are hopeless control freaks this time around, they'll do anything to help make sure no one but them has to do anything at all on the deal._

Toris had asked why they wanted to do all the work. Wasn't that too much for just two people to handle?

Feliks had said of course it was, but they had good reasons for worrying.

_Like what? _Toris asked. _If this is a team then why should they want to do everything._

Feliks had promised the brunette that he would tell him later. _They have their reasons,_ he had said. Toris let it slide. He didn't think it was any of his business anyway.

The brunette shook his head and got out of the shower, shivering at the cold, steamy air on his wet skin. He quickly wrapped a towel around himself and went out into his room.

"Took you long enough."

Toris spun around, eyes wide. Who the hell was in his room!

"Feliks..?"

The blond rolled his eyes at the brunette's scared expression. "Well who did you expect, Marie Antoinette herself? Jeez."

Toris gulped back the bitter taste of bile. "N-No maybe not her..." He turned his back on the Pole. "Wait. Why are you here?"

Feliks was quiet for a few moments. "I wanted to ask you something."

Toris looked back at the blonde. "What?"

"I forgot."

"Oh.."

The pair stayed quiet for a few moments before Toris grabbed some of his black and white clothes and started making his way back into the bathroom to change.

Feliks stood up quickly. "Wait! I-I uh.. I remember now."

Toris looked back at Feliks and stared for a second. "Can I put some clothes on first?" He said, holding the towel tighter around his own waist.

Felik's cheeks turned a soft rosy pink. "Yeah.. But, like, hurry."

Toris could feel his own cheeks getting warmer too.

* * *

"W-What?" Toris stared blankly at Feliks, trying to make sense of everything he had just said.

"Did I stutter?" Feliks murmured, staring down at his newly painted fingernails.

Toris shook his head. "They... we.. kidnap people?" The brunette ran a hand nervously through his own hair.

"Only to get what _we_ want. This isn't exactly an everyday thing Toris." Feliks explained. "I told you Finland and Sweden wanted control over this_ for a reason_ didn't I? This is their reason."

The brunette bit his lip. "It's still wrong."

"Well so is selling drugs but you didn't seem, like, upset over that." The pole rebuked.

Toris looked up at Feliks. "It's their adopted son, you said? What is he doing over there anyway? We're in England."

Feliks shook his head. "I've told you as much as I know. Sorry."

"And we have someone's sister?"

"Yes."

"How do we know it's the right person? I mean it could easily be someone-"

Feliks snorted. "Do I really look that damn, like, stupid? DNA doesn't lie."

Toris didn't know how to respond. Feliks was right then. I guess they did have the right person.

* * *

It was 4 AM when the phone rang.

As usual, Toris was greeted by Antonio's cheerful voice or Lovino's more-irritated-than-not banter. But it was too early. Much too early.

"'ello?" Toris mumbled, picking up the sleek black phone from it's cradle.

Lovino yawned audibly, clearly not accustomed to this early awakening either. "Braginski wants to see you."

Toris rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Why?"

"Well I don't fucking know. Get your lazy ass out of bed." Lovino hung up his end of the call with a crash.

Toris groaned and quickly put on his shirt and pants, foregoing the jacket for now. He didn't think Ivan would mind seeing as it was so early in the morning.

The brunette walked groggily through the hallways, making his way slowly toward Ivan's office.

Much to Toris's surprise, he saw Ivan standing outside the large wood doors. In between his thumb and forefinger was a long, slim cigarette. The blonde hadn't noticed Toris's careful approach. The brunette cleared his throat, catching the attention of the larger man with a sickly sweet smile stuck to his lips. The Russian's lavender eyes glinted with a mischievous air and something else the brunette couldn't put his finger on.

"Hello Toris." Ivan sang, standing and greeting the brunette, leading him into his office with a firm hand on his shoulder.

Toris squirmed slightly under Ivan's touch. He was pressing his shoulder down a little too hard, but Toris went with Ivan into his office quietly. The brunette looked around at the bookshelves lining the walls, recognizing a few titles embossed in gold on the dull colored spines of the books. Ivan sat Toris down in one of the chairs, pressing his shoulder down further. The brunette complied.

The blond leaned against the front of his desk, watching the smaller man carefully. Ivan cocked his head slightly.

"Toris are you a virgin?" The blonde's smile widened.

Toris looked up at the man, stunned.

"Isn't that a rather personal question?" Toris said, his voice shaking with embarrassment.

Ivan chuckled. "I have the right to know, da? Tell me." The blond ran a cool hand through Toris's smooth locks.

The brunette pushed his hand away gently. "I'd rather not."

Ivan smirked. "So you aren't." The blonde set a hand on Toris's shoulder, pushing his back onto the smooth surface of the chair. Toris closed his eyes.

"Stop." He mumbled, trying to get out from under the Russian's grasp.

Ivan smiled, it made Toris's stomach turn. The smile was out of place next to the glint of lust in Ivan's lavender eyes.

"No."


End file.
